The Captive Ward
by Lady Gisbourne
Summary: So this is a new take on the Mozenrath's shapeshifter, thank you those who read it. I decided that it needed a face lift since Moze wasn't really Moze. So I tried to make him more vain. Cheers!
1. Chapter 1

The sand whipped around the hooves of the horses in the night. The sand storm the night before hadn't done much for the people traveling back to Agrabah. The excavating caravan had been successful in the search but they would only be awarded for their duty when they reached their home. The trip to find the hidden chest of the old magician Huratim, had been successful. All of his powers were trapped within the chest. Items that the old wizard desired to remain hidden forever. The sultan of Agrabah had requested that they be found before any one against Agrabah found them first. The caravan leader, resent to the idea of stopping to rest after what had happened the night before pushed the camels forward. The darkness concealed them from enemies.

Or so they thought.

Up ahead was a small city-ruined, and decaying without any life. The leader rose its hand to halt the caravan.

"Where are we?"

The leader's second in command paused beside his leader and pulled out a map. The old hide map depicted the desert, and the leader was clearly in no mood to know if they were going in circles.

"Where are we?" the leader repeated again.

"Here," the second in command answered, placing his finger on a empty sector of the map.

"So why is this village not here?"

"Because it's abandoned?" the man answered.

There was silence for a minute.

"The camels are worn out. If we continue, we shall surely die."

"Agrabah is only days away though,"

"We cannot risk any mistakes,"

The leader snapped its head at the second in command.

"No mistakes? What are you suggesting?"

"We must seek shelter for the night."

"I will not rest somewhere that I don't know,"

The rest of the caravan stopped beside them, "We must rest," another protested.

There was a long silence then.

"My lady?"

The leader turned her head to her second in command, "Fine; we shall rest. Do not expect me to be so generous next time. We break camp before dawn."

"As you command," the second in command Radu, younger brother of Razul answered.

Hannah DuBoius, commander of the small camel caravan was young, but not younger than any other excavation team sent out from Agrabah. She was however one of only two leading women, and rare amongst the people. Despite her dark hair and full figure, she was however European; a former hostage turned soldier of Agrabah. Now one of the sultan's most trusted servants she was also working on gaining higher ranking amongst the other guards. Razul even considered her one of the best amongst his people-enough to the point when Radu was old enough, he had Hannah be his mentor.

Now Hannah sat near the front gates wide awake waiting for dawn to come. Beside her was the treasures that they intended to return to Agrabah. The city was ccompletely abandoned from what she could see. Her men were asleep as she took first watch. She always took first watch, never tired like her men, and able to remain awake for three days if she wanted.

She stared at her hands noticing how she never aged like the others. Many of the men in her group in their mid twenties. She was nearly their age, but she didn't age like the rest of them. She in fact hadn't aged any further since she turned twenty. Nothing about her had changed over the years.

Why?

She froze suddenly hearing a strange sound. She looked about noticing that one of the street crystals was blinking. It sent out a small hiss as it flashed. She watched it flicker for a while, it's blue glow almost calming, yet it felt wrong. Why would an abandoned city have something like this still functioning?

Then she heard something else; footsteps.

She drew her blade senseing that there was maybe only one or two coming their way.

What she saw forced her to stiffen with fear.

Undead beings.

Their skins were green, and their clothing was tattered. Their yellow eyes stared at her unblinkingly, as they drew their large swords.

She heard a new voice begin to chatter behind the intruders.

"Kill them, kill them!"

"Silence!" a second voice snapped, "they care carrying a chest of great significance."

"You come near this chest, and I will slice you all in two." she growled.

There was no answer as more undead beings rose up from the ground, and surrounded her.

"Radu! Rise men!" She shouted over her shoulder. She didn't try to rouse them further assuming they would awaken under her command, as she parried with the undead.

"Look at that Xerxes," the unknown second voice mused, "Desperate to save his people,"

She heard Radu rise and shout at the other men, "Get up! Razul will have your heads!"

"Razul?" the first voice.

"Agrabah," the second remarked, "Another victory for us,"

Hannah blocked an attack, slicing one of the undead's heads off.

"Run, my lord!" shouted Radu at her, "You must send word to the sultan that this has happened!"

"I won't leave you here!" she shouted back.

"It's a woman," the being called Xerxes observed. Hannah didn't see the two mysterious beings but her fears were rising quickly as her men began to fall from their overwheling odds.

"Take flight my lady!" Radu shouted.

"No!" Hannah answered, as she and Razul's little brother became the last two survivors of the caravan.

Suddenly the undead enemies vanished.

The two knights blinked.

"What?"

The chest of Huratim vanished suddenly.

"No,"

"Master, crystal still blinks,"

Hannah looked up noticing the first voice was right; the crystal street light was still blinking.

"Flee, Hannah," Radu hissed.

"No,"

Suddenly Radu vanished.

"Radu!" she called out.

"He's gone," the unknown second voice answered stepping into the light of the street crystal. She saw through the flashing light, a man cloaked in blue robes and a maniacle grinning eel. Hannah flinched the dark power that emitted from the wizard.

"Where?" Hannah commanded.

"Where else? Back to Agrabah. Might as well have some one tell those ridiculous people that you've been . . . infiltrated."

"What do you want?"

"What do you think? Power,"

Radu raced through the streets of Agrabah, bruised from his flight across the desert. The slender soldier unlike his brother was not as courageous of his older brother Razul, but he was just as loyal. He ran with great haste to the palace. He had to tell his brother and the sultan what had happened.

The marbled sidewalks met his feet with haste as he pushed his way through the main gates and doors and straight into the throne room.

"Radu?" Razul turned to see his little brother, his brow rose with question.

"Razul," he panted, "Razul we were attacked!"

"What?" Aladdin who was acting as sultan for the day rose from the throne and strided down to the young soldier.

"We were attacked," Radu continued, "We stopped in an abandoned city to rest the camels and were attacked."

"Show me!" Aladdin pointed to a table where a large map was sprawled out.

Radu staggered over to the table and stared at the map, seeing that the empty space had been labled on the map.

"What is this place?" he pointed at a small icon on the map.

"It doesn't matter," Razul snapped.

"No, we were in this area." Radu protested, "This wasn't on the map that Hannah had!"

"What happened?" Aladdin asked staring at the icon on the map.

"We were resting when these green undead things attacked us."

"Mamluks," Razul snapped.

"Mozenrath," Aladdin answered.

"'The Land of the Black Sand'," Radu read the icon on the map.

"What happened to the chest?" Aladdin asked.

"Gone,"

"The men?" Razul asked.

"Dead,"

"DuBoius?"

"Don't know?"

"What do you mean?"

"She might have tripped the magic detectors," Aladdin answered staring at Radu.

"What?" Razul snapped, "Hannah is a warrior,"

"Yes, and she over-excells at almost everything you make her do." Aladdin answered.

"So? What is she then?" Radu asked.

"I don't know, but I know someone who can tell us," Aladdin answered.


	2. Chapter 2

Jasmine sat quietly in her chambers as the sun rose. Her eyes watched the sky change colors, as someone knocked on her chamber doors. She rose and wrapped in her finest robe, walked to the door.

"Who's there?"

"Jasmine, you're awake?"

She knew that voice and opened the door to Aladdin. She knew that her fiance was disturbed by his overnight-swingshift watch over the throne room. "What is wrong?"

Then she saw Radu.

"You're back already?"

"No,"

Her brow rose, "Where's Hannah?"

They all including Razul dropped their gazes.

"What happened?"

"They were ambushed." Aladdin answered.

"How?"

"Mozenrath,"

"No," Jasmine gasped placing a hand to her mouth.

"We-or at least Radu thinks, she may be still alive."

Jasmine's brows furrowed, "Why?"

"Because there's a chance she could be magical,"

Jasmine bit her lower lip. She knew it was true, and she knew that they knew she knew.

"What is she?" Razul asked.

"I . . . I . . . I don't know," she gestured for them to come inside.

"But," Radu asked.

"But," she continued, "Jafar used to come in when Hannah was teaching me how to speak European tongues. He would sit and watch her. I thought that he was perverse, because he used to take her after our lessons and escort her to his laboritory."

"What happened?"

"He used to test her,"

"For what?" Razul asked.

"The depth of her magic,"

"How deep was it?" Aladdin asked.

"She was like a bottemless pit," Jasmine answered slipping behind several drapes, and changing into day attire.

"So what was she?" Razul asked.

"I don't know," Jasmine answered, "Jafar kept a record of everything he did," she stepped out from behind the curtain fully dressed, "The records must still be in the lab,"

Razul was already to go look, as was his little brother, "Then let's go,"

Aladdin and Jasmine followed in their footsteps.

Hannah was thrown into a cell under the Citadel, and left alone. Not a word was said as to what had happened to Radu or the corpses. She assumed that the wizard would left the bodies decay out in the front of the small kingdom. Her green eyes flicked about in the darkness trying to understand what sort of mess she was in, but all the cagees said the same thing; desserted. Left to die of starvation, or dehydration.

She had to get out of there.

But how?

The bars were too wide for any creature she could turn into but perhaps if she could make the lock unlock for her she could get out. She placed her hand behind the lock and pushed magic at the lock.

Then her magic backfired sending her across her small cell.

"What the?" she asked herself confused.

Some how she could hear her captor laugh.

She stood and paced trying to think, animal like insticts kicking in to release herself. After an hour of pacing though, she forced herself to sit, knowing that she couldn't get out on her own. She would have to wait for rescue or her kidnapper.

She sat quietly picking at her nails realizing how little of a girl she acted despite her nearly perfect shape when the sun finally did rise. The dungeon wasn't so dark out, but she could sense that the black magic here kept the sun from having a normal effect on this small piece of the desert.

She sat in silence meditating and finally falling asleep by the time the sun set again. She had a chamber bucket thankfully but no food was brought down. There was no real place to sleep either so she unclasped her cloak and bunched it up into a pillow.

She awoke again near dawn again hearing the sound on footsteps. She rose, reclasping her cloak and watching into the darkness to see whom was coming down to the dungeons.

Her captor.

"So you're still alive," the captor's voice was smooth, but it sent chills through Hannah, "How interesting. Typically people die by this point, due to the lack of water and food."

"I am just a bit stronger than your average prisoner then,"

"Perhaps," he paused, "Why did your men cross my lands?"

"None of your consern," she answered.

"No?" he shot a bolt of blue fire at her, which she dodged quickly, "Then why have I captured you and had the rest of your men killed?"

"We had to rest," she answered, "We were just trying to get home,"

"Yes," he seemed to sigh as if bored, "Back to your precious Agrabah. What a pitiful city."

Hannah didn't answer.

"So why carry the chest of Huratim to Agrabah? There are no wizards or magic being there. Am I correct?"

"We retrived it to keep it away from the likes of you," she answered defensively.

"'From the likes of me'? Xerxes, did you hear that?" he turned his attention back to his prisoner, "And what exactally am I?"

"A dark magician," she answered shortly.

"Ah yes, I play in black magic quite often," he seemed to laugh at her answer.

"Where am I?"

He seemed to stop laughing, his dark eyes staring at her as if she was a sort of alien, "What?"

"Where am I?"

"You're from Agrabah, yet you don't know where you are?"

"No,"

He smirked, "You're in the land of the Black Sand," he seemed bored but countered it with, "And what being are you?"

"I am human?" Hannah was confused by the question.

"Yet you and that chest both tripped my alert system. Do you know why?"

Hannah blinked, "They sense mangic?"

He snorted at her, "An Agrabanian who has no idea about us," he seemed to chuckle at the thought, "Aladdin and his pests must not have told everyone what to expect by passing here. How unlike them to be so selfish,"

Hannah sat silently for a minute pondering what sort of a predictament she was in.

"So, I was 'spared' due to my 'magic', and I am in the land of the Black Sand. That means you are . . . ?"

The dark wizard rolled his eyes, "I am Mozenrath, lord of the Black Sand."

She stared at him; she had heard the name before, and recalled how evil Jasmine had described the magician, yet he really looked harmless, not counting his blue fire powers.

"What are you called, soldier?"

She blinked, "Hannah DuBoius,"

"You're not from Agrabah,"

"No,"

His dark brows rose impressed, "Where are you from?"

"Rumania-in a providence called Wallachia. My father was drafted into the English king's crusade and my family followed."

"And yet you serve the Arabians,"

"My family is dead,"

His dark eyes studied her, obviously looking for a lie but she knew he wouldn't find one. She had no reason to lie.

Yet.

"Well, now you are going to serve me, DuBoius. I collect magic, and well, you are of some sort of magic. I intend to find out, and take it."

Hannah gulped.

He snapped his fingers, and the cage opened and her wrists were chained.

"Come," he gestured for her to follow him, "I think the proper course of action is to place you in the crystal of-,"

"Ix," she cut him off, "I know what they are,"

His face was still frozen on saying the word 'Ix', but now it was obvious the gears in his mind were thinking.

"Maybe breakfast first. It seems we need to discuss your condition a bit more in depth before we do any sort of test,"

Hannah followed knowing that there was no escape, yet she still felt the urge to run anyway. Xerxes, his familiar, she decided followed them from behind in case she did try anything.


	3. Chapter 3

Aladdin and his friends sat in Jafar's old quarters seeking answers. Iago had provided them with Jafar's personal stash of records, recalling everything.

"Jafar thought she was something of great value besides being the sultan's ward. He would bring all kinds of magical entrapment items trying to figure out what she was."

"Did he ever figure it out?"

Iago shook his head.

"It has to be something special to consider the possibility now that Mozenrath might have let her live," Aladdin observed. Radu and Razul stared into old scrolls, as Jasmine read various journals. Abu and Carpet were in the not as secret stash of books and records Jafar owned.

"What did he try?" Jasmine asked Iago.

"Everything that we've come across; Crystal of Ix, the Crystal of Barroush, the wand of Taltimos, the Cube of Isis . . . He was preparing to use the . . . oh what was it called?" Iago rubbed his beak with his feathers thinking.

"Did Jafar have any conclusions?" Aladdin asked.

"Nope, the dolt thought of everything, but nothing seemed to touch the sultan's ward."

"Iago we really need to find his records on Hannah, so we can at least guess what Mozenrath is going to try."

"I've got them!" Genie called out from over in the corner.

Aladdin and the others raced over and stared at the records carefully, but the former street-rat's eyes went down to the bottom of the page;

_"December 29th, 1213-_

_The European is strong . . . I've tried everything it seems, yet I am not really drawing any conclusions. Perhaps this is a being unawakened. I shall try some basics used to awaken spirits of fae folk or genies . . . genies. That might be it. I shall seek out the proper ingredients while sending that filthy street rat out to the Cave of Wonders."_

"A genie?" Aladdin asked Genie.

"Yep,"

"Would that be possible?" Jasmine asked Genie.

"Maybe," he shrugged.

"Did Jafar get to test this?" Aladdin asked Iago.

"Really? Ask the parrot for all the answers?"

"You served him still when he wrote this,"

"Please, the twiggy idiot was at the time trying to marry Jasmine. He seemed to forget all about the ward."

"Aladdin," Jasmine snapped, "We have to get Hannah back before Mozenrath can unlock her secrets."

"Right," Aladdin answered, "You should contact Sadira and get her to help you set these spells up to test Hannah,"

"You want to test her too?"

"Well . . . yeah, we need to know why Mozenrath is so interested. If that means beating him to the answer, then we have to. If she's a genie, think of the power he can gain."

"Hannah could be dead by the time we get there," Razul observed.

"But we must try brother," Radu countered, "I am afterall her squire,"

Hannah finished telling her captor the truth in intricate detail about her trials with Jafar.

"Jafar's an idiot," Mozenrath snapped, "I know what you are."

"Mozenrath smart," Xerxes grinned broadly.

"And?" Hannah asked.

"You are clearly an unawakened genie,"

"What does that mean for you?"

He shrugged, "Everything," his eyes stared at his gloved hand, "Finish your drink, and we shall get started."

"'We'?"

"Of course," Mozenrath said casually, "We are going to awaken your blood, and then I am going to take it."

"No,"

His brows rose with interest and a bit of confusion, "'No'? You have no choice. Your only other option is a quicker death,"

Her eyes widened, and he knew that he had her under his thumb. She could dare fight against him now.

_Being all powerful does have its advantages,_ he thought.

Being the dark wizard was everything, and with cosmic power he could rule everything without being challenged. Not eve Aladdin and his band of misfits could touch him then.

He stared at his captive as if she was gold, "Come,"

She rose with him, but saw quickly that she had stood with a blade in her hand.

"Master!" Xerxes blurted with fear.

"What are you going to do, soldier? Kill me?" He remained fully calm, knowing she couldn't harm him.

She leapt at him, the point of the blade pointed at him. It was a shock that she dared fight him, but he stopped her at least fast enough to turn the knife into a feather. He was not fast enough however to stop her from colliding into him. They both toppled to the hard stone floor with a dull thump.

They stared at one another, their faces only inches from one another, her bound hands clasped against his chest. He was amused for a minute as their eyes remained locked for a moment longer.

"You're horrible," she growled at him in a low voice.

"And you're a simple savage," he answered, still amused, and shoved her off his chest, "You'll be worth more than a savage when we are done,"

"I am a soldier of Agrabah,"

"And yet a 'ward' for the sultan."

She seemed to freeze as they both stood.

"I didn't tell you that,"

"Why else would you be spared in the crusades? The sultan must have seen the potenital, but took it as a ward."

"I am a,"

"Slave," he cut her off, "Not a soldier and not a ward. They kept you to serve them. Now come," he snatched her cuffs and lead her down the corridoor to his lab.

She was interesting to listen to but she was so . . . inexperienced to consider anything.

Xerxes followed closely at his side.

"Master okay?"

"Master is fine, Xerxes. Ready to have the power of the cosmos in my finger tips,"


	4. Chapter 4

Mozenrath tossed his prisoner into a holding cage in the laboritory as he pulled books off his shelves to find out how to make genie within the little ward come out.

_She's not really all that small_, he observed, as he glancd over his shoulder noticing how she examined the lock with her hand.

"Only I can unlock it, DuBoius,"

He knew that she was watching him unamused with being caged. He smirked to himself as the sat down at his desk and began the long process of finding what he sought. Xerxes helped flicking through the pages to another book, and throughout the day they found no answer.

He glanced up on occasion seeing his prisoner watch him with an almost feral look.

_Savage,_ he thought, _it's almost a waste of my time unlocking this animal's power._

"What do you intend to do with what power you find?"

"What else? Take over the seven deserts,"

"And what? Make it all a wasteland like this?"

He blinked, "What?"

"What would you do if you conquered all seven kingdoms?"

"Rule,"

She snorted.

"What?" Mozenrath felt a sense of irritability rise.

"It will never work," she answered.

"And what would you know, _slave_?" Mozenrath stared at his gauntlet noticing that his negative energy was permitting his magic to glow. Ready to attack.

"Maybe I know nothing, but I know that one who uses black magic can never hold a throne,"

"You know nothing,"

"How's your hand?"

His jaw dropped, "How,"

"Do I know?" she finished the question for him, "Dark magics always require sacrafice. Judging on your particular condition, I would recomend either finding a way to reverse the curse soon, or have a casket rady for your death."

She didn't sound thrilled with his death, but she also wasn't sad.

"Perhaps when I make you a genie, I will make that one of my three wishes," his voice was meant to sound evil . . . mallice but she simply grinned at him.

"What happened to Radu?" she asked after some few minutes of silence.

"I shot him back to Agrabah,"

"Why? You killed the rest of my men,"

"Someone needs to tell the tale of what happened,"

"They'll send an army, you know. To at least reclaim what posessions you took."

"Psh, I am not afraid of them," Mozenrath answered turning a page in the book he was scanning through. He glowed with satisfaction as he found what he was looking for.

_Unlocking the Genie._

Hannah watched carefully as her captor began mixing a variety of powders and crystals into a cauldron. She was not certain about what all was going into the cauldron, but she had a pretty good guess about only a couple. Xerxes hovered over his master and a distict feeling that she wasn't going to live more than three days. Her captor seemed to glow with enthusiasm for what he was about to accomplish, but she doubted so he could get three wishes.

_How could someone so dark have no heart at all?_

She watched as the pale man glanced over his book at the instructions, and then he came to the cage.

"Time for a test,"

She felt her instincts push her back to the far end of the cage.

"Don't make me beg," he reached in with his magic and drug her out, and hauled her to the cauldron. He drew her arms out over the mouth of the cauldron and drawing a knife from a nearby table. Without hesitating he ran the blade up each arm.

She flinched, but he held her arms firmly over the pile of goods in the cauldron. Blood began to pulse out from the large openings, and trickle down her arms and into the caudron.

"I could die of blood loss if your little trick fails,"

"And I should care why?"

She blinked, ready to answer him when suddenly, the ingredients in the cauldron began to have a reaction. A red bubbling effect began to fizz and shimmer as the rest of the ingredients was touched by her blood, then it vapored up reaching into the large gashes her captor had made and entered her system. It burned like a white hot fire, and she felt it run through her veins, through her body, and Mozenrath took a step back to clearly get a bigger picture of what was happening.

Hannah knew that his little spell was working, as the entire cauldron of vapor entered her, and she was engulfed in literal fire, and magic. Whatever was happening outside the magical vortex, she couldn't see, but she couldn't do it even if she had the opportunity. Everything anyone could ever want to know hit her entering her mind, the entire cosmos and phenominons tattooed her cuts, as they began to seal themselves. She felt wise, young and suddenly at a loss for understanding anything as two large silver cuffs replaced her anti-magic manicles, and a black lamp appeared near her _vanishing_ feet.

She gasped in fear as her feet, legs and lower body became a vapor of white. Her skin took on a nearly alabaster white sheen as the supernatural tattoos grew.

Then the fire and changes stopped. The magic however was obvious, and Mozenrath held the lamp as if it was a solid brick of gold.

She was a genie, and Mozenrath had become her master.

It had taken a few days, but a small army had been created to take on the dark wizard. Jasmine stayed behind with Sadira, the sand witch trying t concoct various genie related spells for Hannah if she was still human, besides someone had to run the throne since Aladdin was leading the expedition. Radu had made certain that he was part of the party as well, and had Razul's main team of men join them.

"We are going to get the chest of Huratim back. This is not to get your superior back," Razul snapped.

"But if Mozenrath can gain any sort of benefit from ser DuBoius's powers, then we need to capture her as well." Aladdin countered.

"'Capture'?" Radu questioned.

"She could be the enemy when we get there."

"How do you kill a genie?" Razul looked at Genie.

Genie gulped and stared at Razul, "Well, you destroy the lamp. Since she will probably be a homemade genie, she can revert back to a mortal, and you can kill her any way you like then,"

"Kill? What? No," Radu answered.

"She may be one of my best soldiers, Radu, but if she's the enemy now, we need to know what to do."

"What do you mean by homemade," Aladdin asked.

"I was granted being a genie thanks to my natural-genie parents. I granted Jafar the right to be a genie. Mozenrath will use a spell to start her quickening."

"What does that mean about genie conduct?"

"She has to follow the same set of rules. But,"

"But what?"

"She won't be a registered genie. It means she also could have a limited warrenty."

"You don't know?" Razul snapped.

"No-no genie has been created in this manner. She could be a mortal genie. I don't know, and Carpet stole my big book of secrets."

Razul sighed and looked to the sultan in charge, "Send your genie out to get the sultan."

"He's with Hippsodeth. Nothing will happen to him under her care."

Razul rolled his eyes, "Street Rat,"

"Guys!" Radu snapped, "Can we go? The longer Mozenrath has the chest of Huratim, the longer he has to fully gain its powers."


	5. Chapter 5

Mozenrath slept sound, his dreams had at last come true; he was fully restored and immune to the gauntlet, his laboritory had been upgraded several generations beyond normality with all the tools, books and ingredients he could ever dream of, and his genie now awaited him in the Cyrstal of Ix so he could be phenominally cosmic.

_It had been a good day._

And his genie didn't complain about anything he said. His familiar was pleased because she even inluded a more luxurious perch he could curl up on in the lab if his master chose to pull an all-nighter. But if he really did become all powerful, then perhaps he wouldn't need the lab anymore.

_So many choices . . . deal with them later._

But his first stop would be Agrabah to get rid of the street rat.

Hannah watched from the Crystal of Ix as her master came into the chamber the following morning after her first day of being a genie. His dark eyes scaled the crystal as if taking the power within was like climbing a mountain.

"Good morning, my dear genie," he was smirking, and not afriad to prove it, "How are we feeling today?"

She shrugged. What was she supposed to feel?

"Of course, you actually had to stay in here-perhaps not the best of accomodations, but I don't need you running back to Agrabah. Despite all the great things you could do and become, this clearly was not mean to be for you." his gloved hand reached out, and touched the crystal's surface.

It was instantanious the power that rippled through her core. The crystal was doing it's job giving Mozenrath power, but it felt as if someone was skinning Hannah alive. She clawed at the inner surfaces of the crystal trying to not scream, but if she didn't feel like being skinned then it was fifteen times worse than the process she had to face to become one.

She screamed.

Radu signaled for the horses to stop, as they reached the land of the Black Sand.

"You're certain this is where you camped out?"

"Yes," Radu insisted, "We camped just inside those gates."

"What drove you to camp here?" Razul growled.

"Look, if I knew what this place was then, we wouldn't be having this conversation." Radu snapped at his brother.

From where they sat on their horses they heard something that made their spines tingle.

A scream.

"We must hurry," Aladdin said putting his heels into the horse he was on. Iago sitting on his shoulder.

"Why did you have to bring me?" Iago protested.

"In case we need you to mock his voice-like you did with the wind jackals." Razul answered before Aladdin made an attempt to hush him again.

"Oh yes, 'Sharako do as I command'," testing his voice for it's mocking power.

"Shut up!" Aladdin snapped.

They rose into the city, the three of them and four of Razul's finest, bowling over various mamluks as they rode straight for the Citadel.

Mozenrath pulled away as the magic started to only trickle into his grasp. As his captive collapsed within the crystal, he heard the distinct sound of horses and swords clashing.

"Well well well, just in time to see how powerful all of this magic can be," he laughed maniacally as he ans Xerxes left the chamber, "Oh and by the way, since I am the only one who can release you from there . . . Ix Callar," the small spell he said in a powerful voice and the genie collapsed into a heap on the floor, "I do have one more wish left but I will save it for after the battle."

He turned and vanished out of the Ix chamber, curious if genies recharged their power if most of it had been zapped.

_More for me then when I return._

Radu was never meant to be as big as his brother but it did grant him some advantages when in combat. He was a decent swordman but he was best with a bow. As the small army entered the dead city, Radu made note that the corpses of his compatriots were no longer there.

_Had they been turned into some of those strange undead things?_

He leapt across from one rooftop to another alongside his brother's men and watched as they drew nearer to the Citadel that most of the ememies forces had grouped together to face the attack. He pulled an arrow, nocked it and drew aiming for the head of one of the undead.

He waited for his sultan in charge and Razul to let loose some sort of battle cry. But there was no shout as Aladdin and the small army of men began to fight against the mamluks.

He let loose his arrow.

Down on the ground Aladdin fought alongside his finest warrior, Razul who was more coordinated than usual when it came to dealing with mamluks. Perhaps it was because they were actually trying to prevent something from happening.

_For once._

Aladdin put it out of his mind focusing on trying to reach the chest if Huratim before Mozenrath had a chance to unleash the full power within. The true sultan had found the answer once in one of his books stating that to unleash it would open a permanent gateway to the dead.

Something that neither the enemy nor they themselves should use.

Just protect.

Aladdin wasn't certain how it would really beackfire against the dark wizard, but he figured that the _former_ mamluks would want to give their master a piece of his mind.

_Including Destaine._

He chopped through another mamluk as a couple of the undead minions began to sink back into the dirt in fear. What Aladdin wasn't seeing though was the undead's leader.

Mozenrath.

_Don't make me come chase you, you jackal!_

As if Aladdin's thoughts had actually been heard there came an answer from the main entrance into the Citadel.

"Why Aladdin, what a pathetic army to send against me." he shot out an extreamly powerful blue ball of fire at the Arabian army.

On instinct Aladdin snatched Razul, and both dropped to the ground, Mozenrath's attack missing them by inches.

"What the hell was that?" Razul asked.

"Mozenrath," Aladdin answered.

Radu drew his bow again, deciding to go against his lessons and drew three arrows on the string and aimed at the wizard. The man who attacked his party, and his mentor.

He let loose his arrows, seeing immediatly why it was exactally why he was never to draw more than one.

They didn't even hit their target, the fletching glanced off one another, but dropped on mamluks below. He drew again, as a ball of blue flame raced up towards him. Radu had just enough time to untense the armed bow and dodge the attack.

He rose again and with one arrow drawn yet again, took aim and fired as the magician shot another bolt of fire loose at the crowd, the intensity of his attacks far from what his commrades had once told him.

_How do you beat someone like this?_ Radu wondered until he saw the black lamp at the wizard's hip.

Hannah clawed at the floor hearing the battle outside hearing how her magic that she had been forced to give was being used, and knew she had to stop it. But how?

She pushed herself to her knees, her dark hair brushing against the floor as she rose to her feet. She knew that she had to turn the tables against her master, and stared at her hands. So pure and unaged, she knew that if she could undo her genie-ness she could age like a normal being.

She had to destroy her own lamp.

She could remember the day Aladdin had destroyed Jafar's lamp. She could remember how relieved she had been to know that Jafar had been defeated for good. There was a chance that she could die, but something in her heart told her that by destroying her own genie self, Mozenrath would lose the cosmic phenominal powers since he hadn't taken it all in the first place.

_Your loss,_ she smirked, and weakly took form of a hawk like she used to be able to before being a genie, and took flight.

Xerxes hovered beside his master knowing that he was winning and smiled wickedly seeking his own opponent. His tail twitched as he saw the far too loud Iago. Quickly he shot out catching the bird by suprise.

"What the-Get the heck away from me!" he shouted, fighting back.

Xerxes laughed snapping at the parrot until he heard his master's voice.

"What are you-How dare you defy me!"

Xerxes turned to see a hawk pull away from Mozenrath and start towards the sky. Before he could go aid his master, Iago snatched his tail and in one fast action, flew the eel into the nearest wall causing him to fall unconscious.

Radu watched the sudden commotion at the face of the Citadel as the mamluks became nothing but a pile of limbs. He had run out of arrows, and was preparing to drop down and help his brother when he heard the enemy have his own problems.

There was a pale falcon starting to ascend up to the sky as Mozenrath shot an extreamly powerful fire ball at the hawk.

Radu blinked wondering if the wizard realized what he was doing.

The hawk clearly knew what it was doing and angled itself just so, so the lamp took the full force of the blow, exploding into shards of metal, saphires flew about descending to the earth below the high arched stone catwalk.

There was a red fire ball then that engulfed both the hawk and the wizard and the sudden obvious realization hit the wizard.

"No!"

A fire as red as blood vanished from Mozenrath and shot up into the sky. The enemy Mozenrath dropped to his knees clasping his chest as if in pain.

_How I wish I had an arrow now._

"No!"

The genie power was suddenly gone, and his own unlocked genie had self destructed its own lamp. Pain seered through his chest as if someone was pulling at the powers within, and he knew that it was the genie entitiy leaving him, but he knew that he wouldn't be able to touch such pure power for a while. It pulled at every muscle causing him to drop to his knees, and without an moments notice knowing that he had suddenly lost the fight, made himself vanish into the Citadel.

_Damn that savage,_ Mozenrath cursed knowing that he had been beat by the female heathen. _I should have made her a mamluk when I had the chance._ He had done that to the rest of her commrades, why not the lady soldier?

_But I wasn't been beaten by Aladdin-that street-rat._

Hannah took form of a human, knowing that by destructing the lamp, all her power was gone. It wouldn't even hibernate into her blood again. She felt the rush of air suddenly and knew that she was falling instantly.

She reached out seeing the catwalk below her. She prayed that she could catch the ledge before she fell to her doom. She would take all the consequences for her actions, and would accept any broken bones from this drop.

Aladdin watched as the wizard vanished and then the mamluks followed in suite-at least what was left.

"Come on-we have to find that chest!" Razul shouted to his men who despite Mozenrath's fury seemed unscratched.

There was a scream, and everyone looked up at Radu whom was watching his mentor fall.

Deep down Aladdin regretted not bringing Carpet or Genie for that reason, but watched as the former soldier slammed into the ledge, her finger's dug into the hard surface of the bridge trying not to die.

"Someone get up there!" one of the other soldiers shouted.

Aladdin raced forward knowing that their hunt for the chest would at least go by quicker if she lived. His feet pounded against the dark sand, and snatched her finger tips just as she lost her grip.

From behind him Razul caught up to him and took a firmer grip of the knight's arms and hoisted her back over the ledge.

"Not today, ser," Razul grunted as he dropped her onto her feet.

She flashed her superior a quick grin, "Thank you, sir." she turned to Aladdin, "And thank you, my'lord,"

Aladdin shrugged not truly comfortable yet with the term, but smiled.

"Now, we need to get that chest," Razul said at the former genie.

"The lab,"

"Hannah," a voice said from behind Aladdin.

Radu.

Hannah had barely a moment to breathe, as her squire embraced her, "Oh how happy I am that you're alive!"

Aladdin caught Razul's distaste in Radu's manner and made a sound to get everyone's attention.

"To the lab,"

Hannah pulled out of Radu's grip, and with Aladdin behind her, they all went within the Citadel to get the Chest of Huratim.


	6. Chapter 6

Mozenrath looked up as the door to his lab was pulled open, and Hannah entered leading the team of Agrabanians to retrieve the chest.

_Traitor,_ he thought.

She had clearly lost her magic but the tattoos were still there, and she flinched when her eyes landed on him.

He really must be a sight, with the obvious sweat and pain from the loss of the genie magic, he hadn't moved all that much sense as if it would cause more pain.

Aladdin snatched the chest from the far wall, as Razul and Radu kept an eye on the dark wizard.

"Why are you watching him?" Iago snapped at them, "Al's got the treasure-let's go!"

They followed without question, and even his former cacptive turned to leave.

"Hero wins?" Xerxes asked with question.

Hannah stopped, last to follow the street rat, and turned slowly as if watching for anyone to notice her, and walked over to the wizard.

"Hero didn't win, nor did he lose either, Xerxes," Hannah said, drawing a wet cloth from a nearby basin near Mozenrath.

"What are you doing?" Mozenrath asked his mind drawing a blank, but he was too skittish from his the rejection of genie power to move.

In truth, she had no idea what she was doing, but for some odd reason, she felt like she owed him for letting her live. She took the small cloth, squeezed out a majority of the water, and coming almost too close for comfort, wiped the sweat from his brow.

Their eyes barely srayed from one another.

"Savage," he muttered in an almost teasing tone.

"Mad man,"

He smirked, "You'll be the first to have escaped my _madness_ so easily,"

"And probably the last; no mad man makes the same mistake twice."

"Nor does a savage,"

She blinked, _Was that a complement? _

She heard footsteps coming back, and stepped away barely noticing that he had taken her hand in his.

"You do still owe me one wish,"

Her brow rose, "I am not a genie,"

He seemed to pick up on the coming footsteps and released her hand, "You should go," he looked away, and Hannah knew to leave now, and left closing the door behind her, and with Razul there to escort her back to the good-guy party, returned to Agrabah.

"That's it?" Xerxes looked at his master.

Mozenrath looked up at his familiar and down to the wash basin, his not so evil heart having a small change. "Not quite," he inhaled a cool breath of air, "Our dealings with Agrabah will never be over."

"Revenge?"

"Not today-I want time to re-adjust to how I used to be before gaining cosmic powers,"

"You were cosmic," Xerxes tried to sound supportive.

"But if I had taken all of her power there's a strong chance that I would have become a slave to the will of another,"

"Genie slave?" Xerxes clarified.

"Yes, Xerxes, a slave," he paused, and looked at his hand.

_Why had I snatched her hand? Did I really want a non-magical being in my presence? Or . . . _

He knew the answer, but pondered the other options absently.

He wanted his last wish.

He wanted the genie to stay and serve him until death took him.

_Besides they'd be useful lab assistants, if not already drained of power._

_But Hannah's not a genie anymore; just a savage serving Agrabah._

Hannah sat in her quarters, back in Agrabah staring out into the cosmos of the night sky. The balcony was not elegant, but it made for a good view of the city and the palace. Her eyes could see everything from the lights in various homes to the silk drapes dance at the royal apartment windows. Hannah stared at the stars though what she was to do now.

Her squire had been promoted by the real sultan when they returned to Agrabah, and she and the elite brothers shared a drink at a local pub, and she had turned in early. Everyone involved had been awarded handsomly for their troubles, including Iago. She had met up with Sadira and Jasmine and determined that there was no more real magic within. Only a small flicker of what she used to be, but that had been declared as part of what remained with her tattoos.

Perhaps she did really owe Mozenrath that one wish, whatever it was.

She slept restlessly her thoughts reflecting on her cruel treatment, yet she had been fed, and served him as he desired.

Was that not so different than here in Agrabah?

_I get paid for what I do here,_ she told herself, when she awoke once and stared at her bruised hands where she had clung to the catwalk railing.

But she felt still tied to her slave life.

Her eyes lingered on her bruised yet flawless hands for a moment longer, and closed her eyes again to make another attempt to sleep.

It had been a couple of weeks since the fight against Mozenrath, when a letter was delivered to Hannah while training the new recruits. She stared at the black wax, and the serpant emblem stamped into it and felt a tiny grin flicker on her face. She slid it into her quiver having no where else to place it, and continued her duty, teaching her trainees how to aim an arrow.

That night as she sat in her quarters, she carefully pealed the seal away, and unfolded the parchment.

_"Hannah DuBoius, knight of Agrabah;_

_"Hopefully this will reach you untampered. I have been doing a lot of thinging recently about mundane things and considered sharing some with you, because I have no wish to press them upon Xerxes a second or third time. _

_"You must be wondering why I am trusting you with such . . . ponderings. Let's be clear in that I will never trust you after your stunt with the lamp, but the fact that you didn't execute me when given the chance tells me that there is perhaps something between us. Be warned; I prefer myself and my work over a relationship so don't think that is why I am writing. _

_"I was considering offering you a new life. With me and Xerxes. I have never been beaten by a woman more capable than you, besides the royal princess who had more luck on her side than you. _

_"I am not asking for a guardian, or a slave. I was thinking an apprentice-ship was more in order. Assist me with my work, and my magic. Despite being without any power you are more knowledgable than the magicians I have conquered. _

_"This was going to be my last wish DuBoius, that you would stay and serve as an assistant. Free of any fees, save for whatever you break, but you would never be paying for anything again. But I don't pay either; payment is the gift of knowledge and wisdom. _

_"If you are interested, you know where to find me._

_"Sincerely in your debt,_

_"Mozenrath, Lord of the Land of the Black Sand". _

Hannah sat still re-reading the words carefully, considering his offer.

_How would I inform my superiors here?_ She bit her lip, shocked that she was actually considering this offer.

She slept on the offer for now, making certain the letter was in a place no one would be found. She would think on it for a while, then make her decision.


	7. Chapter 7

Hannah placed her sword before Razul.

"You are resigning?"

"Retiring," Hannah corrected him.

The large captain of the guards, her superior looked at her inquisitivly more from shock than suspision, "Why?"

"I have been granted my freedom of wardship, and I wish to travel, sir,"

"The deserts are treatcherous and there are many enemies out there to anyone from Agrabah."

"I was trained by you; I will be fine," she grinned, knowing that reminding him of how 'good' of a teacher he was would draw a chuckle.

"Yes well, I may be the best of Agrabah, but there are many dangers out there; you met one of the worst, but there is still more"

_And yet, that is where I am going,_ she thought but didn't say.

"Consider staying,"

"Don't worry Razul, I will come and go. Agrabah is home for me, but I want to see more before the end. That much I learned from this little excursion."

Razul could see that he was not going to be the victor of Hannah's debates, and he nodded.

"Very well-but you will have to come and visit Radu and I when you do drop in. Take whatever provisions you need free of charge. A parting gift."

Mozenrath was a buzz, his lab provided everything it seemed to take anything he wanted, but the sudden prospect of just having the world at his fingertips rather than something he had to work for made the prize not so juicy. It had been nearly a month since he had sent the cheap invitation to his former captive for the apprenticeship, and he was certain she would refuse in thinking that it would be a trap.

He pulled a book from the shelf thumbed through it seeking something to occupy his time, to find an old spell that he had once made a mistake on.

The Philosopher's Stone.

His brow furrowed as he checked the cover to make sure there wasn't a mistake. This wasn't the Book of Khartoum. He didn't want another catastrophe. Xerxes hovered beside him.

"Try again master?"

Mozenrath shrugged reading the instructions for this stone, and noticing the difference in ingredients and process. "I think so, this calls for more than the other stone did. Plus I don't need a genie to combine the ingredients."

"Then what?"

Mozenrath shot him one of those looks that screamed, 'What do you mean "then what"?', and answered, "Test it,"

"Limited warrenty?" Xerxes questioned recalling the last time they tried to create one.

"No," He set the open book on his desk and began pulling various ingredients properly labled from the shelves, and setting them beside the book, when an odd sound reached his ears.

The magic sensors outside buzzed with a low hum.

He raised his brows with interest. _What being had entered his city uninvited? _He looked to Xerxes.

"If anyone enters here that's not me, sound the alarms."

Xerxes nodded as his master vanished.

"Savage,"

Hannah paused, seeing the dark lord appear just out of the corner of her eye.

"Mad man,"

"I wondered if you would actually get the message, but I didn't think you would trip the crystals."

"Seems to happen when there is unfinished buisness,"

She could see him smirk in the evening light, "Anyone know this is where you were headed?"

"No,"

"Good, then I take it that you have accepted my invitation?"

"To be your apprentice?"

He nodded.

"Aren't apprentices a bit younger?"

"Usually," he answered, "But I think in your case, I have to make an exception."

Hannah grinned, "Then I agree,"

"Splendid."

"On one condition,"

She could see Mozenrath's expression freeze waiting for her to spill what condition she had.

"Yes?"

"I would prefer to be called 'Hannah', and not 'Savage'."

"Only if I get to be myself, and not 'Mad Man'."

She laughed, "Deal,"

"Well I am glad we got that square," he answered taking her arm to escort her back to the Citadel.

"Where do we start?"

"With the Philosopher's Stone,"

"And then?"

"The world,"


End file.
